Raiders Jr., franchise has come a long way from bottom of MMJHL barrel

After years of struggle, the Seven Oaks Raiders are one victory away from winning the Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League title. Photographed at Billy Mosienko Arena on Keewatin Street in Winnipeg, Man., on Wed., April 9, 2014 are Zaz Oleksiw, president and general manager Ned Sanders, captain Jordan Lisowick and Nik Lynam. Kevin King/Winnipeg Sun/QMI Agency

This is a story about the resurgence of an awful hockey team that is one game away from league supremacy.

But it means much more than just a good yarn for the North End community who breathed new life into the Seven Oaks Raiders program.

This Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League franchise—a step below the MJHL—was a proud one when it originated in 1977. They succeeded early, winning the league title in 1979.

A decade ago, they dwindled into a shadow of their former self. They went 3-40-2 in 2007-08 and 4-40-1 the next year.

That's when Lorne (Ned) Sanders skated in. He and 10 other investors—six of which previously wore a Raiders uniform—purchased the team in late 2009.

The team completed another dismal year, only three wins, but then they cultivated a new culture.

The owners' mandate: make this the community's team again.

“I could name on one hand how many local kids were playing,” said Sanders, who does not fault the previous owner for the club's woes. “The other kids were maybe in beer leagues or playing Junior B or just not playing.”

First step for the revived team, reborn as Raiders Jr., was to find a head coach. They selected Andy Williamson, one of the most successful coaches in MMJHL history.

Then, they filled the roster. Defenceman Jordan Lisowick, a graduate of the midget Winnipeg Thrashers, signed on, along with some of his talented friends.

In a year, those rookies and Williamson buoyed the Raiders from three wins to 23.

“From there, a lot of guys saw the impact that only a handful of us made on the team and it was word of mouth,” said Lisowick, now team captain.

In three full seasons with new ownership, the Raiders made the semifinals each year but lost every time.

Now, in its fourth year, the Raiders are 60 minutes from hoisting the Jack McKenzie Trophy at the Southdale Community Centre on Saturday. That is, if they can fend off the feisty St. Boniface Riels, down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

The Raiders got this far with a young roster. Leaping from last place to second place by season's end.

The club did it with lifelong friends who wanted to play on the same team with each other.

“This was a chance to get back together again with the guys we used to play with,” explains Zaz Oleksiw.

“I remember coming to the summer skates just with the guys, but then everyone would keep in contact,” said rookie Nik Lynam. “It made me feel like I was wanted here.”

The championship series isn't over, though. Top-seeded St. Boniface is keen to win their first title since 1986.

In Game 4, the Riels threw an impressive 49 shots at Raiders goalie Brenden Fiebelkorn, who only surrendered one goal in a 7-1 defeat.

Sanders, also the general manager, knows a champion Raiders is easier said than done, but he's hopeful. He wants this for the players, volunteers and the community members who have filled the Billy Mosienko Arena and supported the club's charitable projects.

It would also give Sanders, who took full ownership of the club two summers ago, the MMJHL championship he never had.

A member of that inaugural 1977 Raiders team, Sanders did not play the next year. But his buddies stuck around, long enough to celebrate a league title in 1979.

“When I think of that 1979 championship with my buddies on it, I actually have a tear in my eye,” he recalls. “Those guys have a special bond and that comes from going to war with each other.”

That bond can be forged again for a new group of Raiders, 34 years after the first.

“When we're winning hockey games now and we're having success, everyone around us says it's just like 1979,” said Sanders. “It's pretty cool.”